A diverse reading experience

I got a chance to sit down with Aletor Beresford-Cole with the African American Student Association and Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Both groups are co-sponsors of the library’s reading series starting March 8, “Two Books, One Community: Great Gatsby and Fire in Beulah.” The latter book tells the story of three women leading up to the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot.

I asked Aletor, who grew up in Tulsa, if he had learned about the riots in school. I wasn’t surprised to hear that he hadn’t, but he did get to learn about it while on outings to places like the Greenwood Cultural Center. This seems to be the experience of many people with whom I have spoken, regardless of their race.

I asked Aletor if, when other black people he knew learned about the riots, they were shocked. He said no, that being treated badly by others was so typical in their lives that very little surprised them anymore. As children, they had to learn to navigate the world prepared to face attacks for being black.

Aletor shared with me reoccurring incidents of being called “Boy” (and not in an affectionate way), of being watched like a hawk while shopping, of being stopped by police when he was out at night and of many other incidents. During all of this, he had to stay calm and just walk away, because a black man standing up against this treatment just leads to trouble, while the perpetrators almost always leave unscathed. Aletor learned at a young age to pick only the battles that had to be fought.

Aletor still struggles understanding why so many people are suspicious of him. He asks what is it about him that is so threatening or offensive? It is especially hard for him knowing that, while he is not in classes studying for a marketing degree or at his job on campus, he and the members of his organizations are doing things like going out to retirement communities to help seniors learn computer skills, going to schools to mentor at risk children and volunteering for community organizations. They spend their time being an asset to the community. He also wonders about the trigger in people that makes them distrust him and about what is inside people that make them treat others like they do.

Many black people are asking these questions right now. I asked Aletor why he thinks that the fight for civil rights has increased again after being seemingly dormant for decades. Aletor said it really isn’t that the fight has increased, but that now the entire world can see firsthand what it is like to be black. Social media has become black people’s best weapon against the treatment many regularly receive. 

But he doesn’t think social media will really change things much—little has changed even as video after video is released. Aletor and I talked about what it would take for real change. Football came up a lot. We talked about recent incidents at the Universities of Missouri and Oklahoma and whether it was the football teams threatening not to play that made the schools’ administration finally act. We both agreed that change is most likely to occur when people’s and organizations’ pocketbooks are affected.

I closed our conversation asking Aletor whether he thought that the library’s “Two Books, One Community” series would make any difference to race relations in our community. Aletor very kindly and diplomatically said that anytime someone shines a light on a divisive issue, it a good thing.

I don’t know if this series will make a difference to anyone, but I do know that it definitely won’t work if we don’t have a true cross section of our community present at our discussions. Old and young. Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, and White. Rich and poor, male and female. We have so many ways of dividing ourselves up, but we want this series to be an impetus for pulling our community together—for figuring out how we are alike. And we can’t do this until we have some real discussions.

One thing that holds us back from talking to each other is fear that we’ll say something offensive and not know it. I awkwardly asked Aletor if anything I had said or asked was offensive without me knowing it. Aletor told me no and that he was surprised that I had asked about some of his experiences as a black person, because very few people ever do. Let this be the time that we talk civilly, ask questions and let these two books help us understand what it’s like to be in another person’s shoes. 

For information about the series, our 20 events and 20 book discussion and getting free copies of the books, visit http://library.stillwater.org/TheBeesKnees.php.

Grab Your Glad Rags Now

By now, word is starting to spread around town about the giant reading series by the library, Sheerar Museum, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, and the OSU Library. The series, “Two Books, One Community: The Great Gatsby and Fire in Beulah,” (2B1C) will be held March 8 – April 29. The schedule is packed full of over 20 exciting events celebrating the turbulent twenties, as well as 20 book discussion, including our new discussions with “a twist.” We are excited to have a series with two books that are so different, while also being so alike.

Two of our biggest events feature fashion, including our dance finale on April 23. That evening, we will be dancing the night away while the Stillwater Community Jazz Band takes us on a musical jazz progression from the 1920s onward. Ahead of time, we’ll be giving out coupons from Louie’s, so plan to make a whole date night of it!

Of course, we do hope that everyone will want to dress up in 1920s era costumes for the dance (plus we’ll have a costume contest!), so start planning how to get your outfit NOW! Not sure what to wear or how to get a costume?

One option for learning more about 20s fashion is to attend our Fashion Show being held at the Stillwater High School on March 22. OSU Apparel Design and Production Professor Dr. Adriana Petrova will be explaining all about 20s fashion as models show off outfits from the era. The clothing is being loaned by OSU’s Department of Theatre (a big thanks to the amazing Rana Webber!) and by Mrs. Martha Ray and the Oklahoma Historical Society. You are sure to get tons of ideas when you attend this show.

Another option is to check out the fashion links on our 2B1C website at http://library.stillwater.org/TheBeesKnees.php . It includes 1920s era catalogs, online resources and titles of costume/clothing books you can check out at the library. Some of the books include:

• “Vogue: History of the 20^th Century Fashion” by Jane Mulvagh is a wonderful book with many examples from every year in the 1920s.
• “Style Me Vintage” by Naomi Thompson has a nice little section on the 1920s that breaks down the fashion into the essentials.
• An old classic “Couture” edited by Ruth Lynam provides detailed explanation of 20s clothing, as well as examples.
• “Ladies Vintage Accessories” by LaRee Johnson Bruton features 20s items throughout the book, including shoes, hats and purses.
•  “Stepping Out: Three Centuries of Shoes” by Louise Mitchell has several pages of 20s era shoes to get inspiration if you are going to purchase similar modern shoes or adjust something you already have.

So—getting going! Start sewing, do some eBaying, scour vintage shops in the area and OKC and Tulsa or just repurpose something you already have. Grab your glad rags and get ready to dance! (and if you don’t know how to dance, be sure to attend our two dancing programs!)

Starting Your Own Business

On Saturday, Feb. 13, 10 a.m.– noon, Brad Rickelman, Assistant Director of the Meridian Technology Center's Center for Business Development, is holding another session of “How to Start a Business." The class, which will be held at the library, teaches potential business owners the essential details necessary to begin their own start-ups.

Brad has taught the class two or three times a year over the past several years and if I were thinking about starting a business, I would not do so without first attending Brad's class. He really knows what he is talking about and is entertaining to boot!

Students attending the class will learn how to create a focus for their business, research financial requirements, determine the revenues needed to offset expenses, hiring the right team, handling marketing and advertising, searching competition and reviewing the requirements for a business loan application.

For anyone who cannot attend the class or would like to read more about starting a business, the library has a rather large collection of books on all facets of the topic. Because business owners are often very busy, we urge you to check our digital collection of e-books available day and night for free on Oklahoma Virtual Library. Some especially helpful step by step titles include:

"Practical Financial Management: A Guide to Budgets, Balance Sheets and Business Finance" by Colin Barrow, which introduces basic financial literacy to budding entrepreneurs.

"Starting a Successful Business: Choose a Business, Plan Your Business, Manage Operations" by Michael Morris, which provides the information that business owners who fail within a year usually do not consider. The book covers how to turn a new  idea into a stable and profitable business and takes the reader through each important step of the start-up process.

The digital library also includes modern business classics, such as one of my favorite, "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek, which helps leaders determine the purpose behind their business or organization. It is a process that helps focus your efforts and inspire you, the people you work with, and your customers.

These books are available to borrow with a Stillwater Public Library card. You can browse the collection from our website.

“How to Start a Business" is free and open to the public. Registration is required, but will be taken up to the day before the class. To sign-up,  go to the registration tab on the library's website at library.stillwater.org, email askalibrarian@stillwater.org or call 405-372-3633 x 8106.

RIP Great Authors

Besides the obligatory “Best of” lists, there are also the “Famous People Who Died” end of year lists. These lists are always awkward because whose deaths do you highlight and whose do you ignore? The awkwardness is especially apparent during award season when higher profile celebs who have died get a thunder of applause, while lesser known people in the industry, usually someone like a “gaffer” or “best boy,” get only a polite smattering of claps.

This year, the world lost many amazing authors. Some, like historical fiction genius E.L. Doctorow and Nobel Prize winners Guenter Grass and Doris Lessing, were technical masters. Others, like “The Thorn Birds” author Colleen McCullough and everyone’s 1980s dirty secret Jackie Collins, were just hugely popular.

All authors leave a lasting impression on the world, because they leave their thoughts behind as books. But several authors who passed in 2015, forever changed how we read. Here are some of them:

·        True crime is one of the very most popular genres checked out at the library. People love to read the gruesome details of real crimes, and one of the very most talented authors was Ann Rule, who died in July at 83 years old. Rule shot to fame in the true crime world with her 1980 autobiographical crime story, “The Stranger Beside Me,” which detailed her friendship with and the murders by Ted Bundy. For the next 25 years, Rule ruled the NYT bestseller list with her more than 30 books.

·        Ruth Rendell, best known for her 24 book Inspector Wexford series, is credited with the changing the face of modern mysteries from gentle cozy reads to psychological thrillers. Rendell, who died in May at 85 years old, has inspired many mystery and horror writers, including Stephen King. Rendell published over 60 books, including those under her pen name, Barbara Vine.

·        Swedish author Henning Mankell died in October at 67 years old. He was writer of the dozen fabulous Inspector Kurt Wallander mystery series books. His series, and its popular translation onto TV, was a major influence in making Swedish mysteries so popular in the U.S.

·        Before readers lost themselves in the sprawling worlds of Hogwarts and Westeros, there was Discworld. Terry Pratchett’s comedy series transported readers into another world over the course of 41 books. Pratchett was the master of serialized fantasy and his success is likely one of the reasons we always get at least three and four books for every story, rather than just one. Pratchett dies in March at the age of 66.

RIP to all of those brave enough to put themselves on paper.

END

The Best List

It is the time of the year that the “Best of” lists come out. I like these lists because it helps me find good books that I might have otherwise missed. Some of them, though, sort of miss the mark on what will interest the general reader. Luckily, there are plenty of lists from which to choose.

Many times we look to the New York Times to tell us which books were the best, but I find many of the items on its list to be somewhat inaccessible and a tad, or a lot, too literary. So, what were probably the very best “written” books this year? The fiction titles include “The Door” by Magda Szabo; “A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories” by Lucia Berlin; Outline by Rachel Cusk; “The Sellout” by Paul Beatty; and “The Story of the Lost Child (Book four of The Neapolitan series) by Elena Ferrante.

The NYT’s 100 notable books of 2015 is also out. I find that list to be more appealing to my tastes, while still being sufficiently literary to make what I read meaningful.

A list I really do like is Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2015. PW names a top 10 list which is fine, but I like its ancillary list that includes the top books in an array of fiction genres and non-fiction topics. Readers get a chance to see titles in topics they enjoy and to be exposed to great books that would never get top 10 attention. Incidentally, Ferrante’s novel is the only fiction title repeated on both the NYT and PW very top lists.

The list at the top of MY list is LibraryReads’ Favorite of Favorites 2015. This list is compiled by librarians and the title of the list really says it all. These are librarians’ “favorite” books, not necessarily the “best,” which is a huge distinction. Just because something is technically excellent does not mean that it has “soul.”

However, it is nice to read something that really is the “best” sometimes, so why not mix it up and try a bit from all of the lists. For more “Best of 2015,” see our webpage compiling different lists at http://library.stillwater.org/best_books_2015.php. Then, hop onto our Facebook page and tell us which book you thought was the best of the year.

The library anytime, anywhere

This past year, Stillwater Public Library has been working to make it easier for you to use the library when you are outside of it. Several elements have been added so that you can better access the library 24 hours a day, anywhere.

The first change will be a relief to eBook users who have encountered an expired library card at the most inopportune times. The nightmare of being on a long trip with no reading material, then trying to download a book at night, only to find your card is expired, is over! You can now renew your own card anytime and anywhere just by logging into the library catalog. 

When your account appears, you will see an option on the right side of the screen that will allow you to renew your library card. Please keep in mind, that if your contact information has changed, then you must email or later call the library, so that we can update your account. And don’t forget you can also renew your hardcopy library material in the space place. The easiest way to get to your account log-in is to click “RENEW” on our homepage at http://library.stillwater.org.

The second addition will be a big help for mobile device users, especially those who use the library on a phone. While you can certainly see our catalog on a small phone, it hasn’t always been very easy. However, we have now added the BookMyne app, which will display a simple, streamlined view to look up books, check your account, and even download eBooks right from our catalog.

Be sure to check our Apps page which provides information about other library services that can be used through an app. Just scroll to the bottom of our homepage and click the “Apps” link under “Online Tools.” You’ll find apps for magazines, learning a language, car repair and more.

Last, everyone will be excited to hear that we are currently working toward online bill pay! We do not yet have it, but are looking for services that will let us provide that option.

If you have suggestions that would make using the library remotely easier for you, we want to hear them! Just email askalibrarian@stillwater.org, click the “Comments” link on our homepage or call the Help Desk at 405-372-3633 x8106. Your opinions matter to us.